A Bondi Dream

Chapter 23 - A Mothers Instinct

Oliver went on a fishing trip with a few of his buddies, so that gave me a chance to do whatever I wanted that weekend without someone telling me what I can and can't do.

I thought I would spend the weekend with Mouse. So I went down to the beach to watch him work for the day.

"You know, I really miss the days when you would come down with me to watch me work." Mouse says as we drive down the street.

"Me too. I would more often, I've just been really busy." I twiddle my thumbs.

We pull into Bondi's parking lot and begin walking down to the tower. Today was a very hot day. It's 35⁰ today, and the beach is already packed. It's only 10 am. I knew it was just going to get busier.

It felt good coming back to work with Mouse. I haven't been back in a while because of Oliver. We walked into the tower, and sitting at the table was Bacon and Jesse.

"Sup, Mouse! Busy today, prepare yourself." Jesse says, patting Mouse on the back.

"Hey Elizabeth. You haven't been here in a while." Bacon says.

"I know. I've been quite busy lately yesterday. Although I dropped by cookies yesterday." I say.

"What! And nobody told me?" Bacon says, scoffing and throwing his hands in the air. I laugh.

I sat down and took a look out of the window. There were a few strong runs going on, and everyone was packed between the flags besides surfers and backpackers.

The day went on, and we just chilled around and talked. "So how's life going, Lizzy? We didn't get much of a chance to catch up yesterday." Jesse says.

"Good. I've been busy with a few things like I've mentioned. Yeah, sorry about that. Oliver needed me home." I say, putting my head down.

"You always talk about how you're busy with 'things'. Do you mind me asking what those things are?" Jesse says, propping his feet on the desk.

"Yeah. Uh.." I clear my throat. "Just a few things. Going put with some friends, hanging out with Oliver. Working on school and homework." I blurt out. I didn't know what else to say. Which I guess they are all true.

"Have you thought about what college you're going to?" Mouse asks. I panic.

"Uh. Yeah.. about that. I was gonna talk to you about that. I-I'm not going. I don't have my mind set on what I want to do that interests me, and I have a hard enough time in school as it is." I say.

"That's fine." Mouse says. I have a puzzled look on my face.

"Are you sure? I thought you would be mad about that." I say spinning in one of the swivel chairs.

"No. I mean, it's your choice. You're the one going. But if you want to have kids in the future with Oliver, you'll have to get a job so you can support them." He says.

I thought about having kids with Oliver. I've always wanted kids. At least 3. But with Oliver? I love Oliver. Don't get me wrong. But I'm afraid of what he would do to them.

"Yes, I will get a job. I've been thinking about that. But I don't really want kids." I lied.

Just then, a distressed woman barges into the tower. She's panicked. She's by herself and sobbing.

"Ma'am you can't be in here. You need to knock first." Jesse explains getting uo and walking to the woman.

"M-my ksdnienxic." She speaks gibberish in between sobs.

Jesse brings her over to one of the chairs and tries to calm her down. He gives her a glass of water and tells her to take deep breaths.

"My kid. He's gone missing." She says, sniffling.

Mouse and Jesse share a look. "Whats his name and how old is he?" Mouse asks the woman. Mouse is sitting on the desk.

"H-he's 4 and h-his name i-is Jake. My name is Janice. " She the staggers her words.

"Ok Janice, and what's Jake wearing?" Jesse asks. I sit back, worried.

"He's wearing a green Ninja Turtle top and black boarding. He has blonde hair like me, and he's about yay high." She gestures with her hand, still crying.

Chappo walks into the tower. "What's going on?" He says, putting his keys up.

"We have a 4 year old Jake, whis gone missing from his mother Janice. He's wearing a green Ninja Turtle shirt and black shorts." Jesse calls into the radio. I assume Chappo heard.

"Don't worry, well find him." Chappo reassures.

The boys start looking up and down the beach for a good 20 minutes. "How long has he been missing for?" Jesse asks.

"About 2 hours." She says her head in her hands. Jesse and Mouse share another look and immediately grab the radio.

"Central, to all boys. Jake has been missing for 2 hours, the mom says." He says into the radio.

I felt bad inside. Watching this mother sit knowing her child could be anywhere in any state must be terrible. The woman was so worked up that she fainted. I watch Chappo and Jesse carry her to the med bed.

I left the tower to go look around the promenade. I had this terrible gut feeling, and I really needed to find this kid.

I checked the women's bathrooms and asked bystanders to check the men's bathrooms. I went up and down the promenade and pivillion.

There was still no sign of the kid, and I  got this terrible feeling. I had to sit down and think. I was now very distressed. I wasn't going to tell anyone about it because it wasn't my kid or my case.

I walked back to the promenade and saw a few cop cars. My breathing quickened. They haven't found this kid. Where is he?

I walked into the tower. "Ma'am you can't be in here right now." One of the cops says.

"That my sister, she came to work with me today." Mouse explains. The cop looks me up and down and nods.

"Still no sign of the kid?" I ask.

They both shake their heads. I sigh and go down the beach. I walk up and down the shoreline. What's gonna happen if they don't find him? Are they just gonna brush it off like nothing happened?

It was now getting dark, and Jake still isn't fine. It's 6:30 pm. I look up to the tower, and I see cops leaving. My head starts spinning. Why are they leaving?!

There's still a fair number of children and parents at the beach. It seems like every kid is wearing green and black.

I got an alarm on my phone. I pull it out of my pocket to check

⚠️ Amber Alert ⚠️
Name: Jake  Age: 4  Wearing:Green and Black simmers   Last seen: Bondi Beach   If found call: 999-678-999  Cash prize

I slam my phone on the ground and put my head between my knees. The cops aren't doing anything about it. This kid could be injured, hurt, or worse.

I feel a hand on my back. I looked up and saw Mouse crouching down next to me. I stand up in frustration.

"What happened?" Mouse asks.

"What happened! What happened!? Jake is missing, and the coppers are doing nothing about it! What if he's hurt? What if he's been kidnapped! That poor mother." I yell, throwing my hands in the air.

"Woah woah. Calm down. It's okay." Mouse reassures.

"No! It's not okay! That kid is missing! That's a big deal!" I say.

"I know. But there's nothing we can do about it. It's dark, and also 7 pm. We need to go home."

"No! I'm not leaving until we find him!" I start to cry.

"We're leaving Elizabeth. The cops are going to work on it."

I hug Mouse and cry into his chest. I don't know why I was feeling this way. There's been lost kids on the beach before, and I didn't care. But today was something different. I don't know why.